Juggling studies and a part-time job is so hard – Student Shout

 Far too often students moan about how their loans don’t quite cover their expenses for the year and they need their parents to cover the rest of the costs.

However there are those whose parents can’t afford to help them or simply do not want to help them financially because they are over 18. Those students are then forced to get part-time jobs in order to afford to live.

There are definitely pros to having a job while at university. 

It gives you the chance to gain the valuable basic skills from industries which are valued by future employers, a sense of achievement as well as a bit of disposable income if you’re lucky.

UCAS and most universities recommend a maximum of 15 working hours a week, meaning you’ll be working weekends because of lectures during the week.

The most that an 18-24-year-old can realistically earn before they severely impact their studies is £442 a month.

The minimum loan you can receive while living away from home is £3928 for the year. But with rent and bills averaging around £6,500 a year for students, plus food and other expenses, money can be quite tight at times.

Having to juggle studying their degree and working to afford the basics can have adverse effects on mental well-being, often causing depression, anxiety and increased stress.

Students often say that losing weekends to a part-time job and not being able to study for assignments also affects their grades. 

But it’s proven that having basic work experience and grades of a 2:1 upwards makes a graduate more employable.

Are students simply meant to go through this ‘rite of passage’ and endure lasting effects on their mental health, or should more financial support be put in place for students who want to go to university but cannot afford it?

Bradley Goodspeed is a journalism student at Sussex University.